This invention relates to the manufacture of devices using microscopic hollow tubes. These devices can have a myriad of applications that are as diverse as lightweight thermal-barrier material, heat exchangers and heat pipes for cooling electronic circuits, gas separation, encapsulation, sensors and detectors, optical wave guides, micro-electrical-mechanical devices injectors, dies, liquid-spill cleanup, and composite reinforcement to name a few applications. The shortcoming of current technology for fabricating microscopic tubes is that tubes can only be fabricated by drawing down a larger tube to microscopic dimensions. This, of course, limits the type of material from which tubes can be manufactured. A drawing process also does not allow accurate control over tube wall thickness, cross-sectional shape, or composition through the wall. A need therefore exists for a process in which microscopic tubes can be made from any type of material.
A need also exists for a manufacturing process that will be able to fabricate microscopic tubes with any cross-sectional shape and with accurately controlled walled thickness.
A need exists to be able to manufacture microscopic tubes with walls that have layers of different materials that are precisely controlled in thickness, composition and microstructure.
A need exists to be able to transition from a microscopic hollow tube to the macro-world.
A further need exists for producing devices having microscopic hollow tubes therein having walls with multiple layers, having coatings thereon, etc.
These and many other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to one skilled in the pertinent art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention and the related drawings.